In the metal working industry, there are many situations which require that heavy units or elements be positioned and moved with respect to one another. The shipbuilding industry is one good example. In shipbuilding, it is very common today that separate parts are put together and transferred as finished elements to the assembling support to be united to the body of the structure. This work demands extreme care to avoid damage to the structure body.
The devices used for this location are various, such as, tackle pulleys, cotters and jiggers. These tools are not very practical, because they were originally designed for some other purpose and must always be improved or modified in some manner depending on particular circumstances. The load capacity of these devices is, in addition, often insufficient to develop the required force and movement. Another known method is to use fixing lugs on the two moving units and a suitable hauling and squeezing device arranged between the fixing lugs. The fixing lugs are fastened by welding, gluing, for example, as disclosed in West German Patent No. DT-PS 1,932,176, or by using magnetic properties. Similar devices are used for positioning whether or not fixing lugs are provided. U.S. Pat. No. 3,182,988 discloses one special tool based on the use of a wedge device.